When the last ice sheet began melting some 20,000 years ago, the climate changed dramatically, and trees responded. As temperature and humidity shifted, tree populations expanded and contracted as…
Translocating Spruce Grouse to Help Endangered Populations
Angelena Ross has been studying spruce grouse for more than 20 years, first as a graduate student at State University of New York at Potsdam and now for the New York State Department of Conservation.…
The Story of Stone Fence Farm
In 2004, foresters Laura French and Jeremy Turner connected at a Forest Stewards Guild meeting in Orono, Maine. Turner asked French if she’d like to join him on a hike in the woods. “And…
What Can We Do About EAB?
We know that emerald ash borer is going to kill most of the ash trees in our forest, but is there value in chemically treating a few trees – and, if so, which ones? What about the limited flight…
Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell
“Turtles are the most imperiled major group of animals on earth,” writes Sy Montgomery in her most recent book. “Like other wild animals, turtle populations shrink when houses,…
North Woods
In his stunning novel North Woods, Daniel Mason offers a rich, satisfying tale from the northern forest. The protagonist is a house, and its story extends from the seventeenth century to the future.…
A Look at Biodegradable Bar & Chain Oil
Recently, I taught a chainsaw safety course in which a student asked, “Where does all the bar oil go?” It occurred to me that this is a topic that gets relatively little attention, both in…
Educating Children Outdoors: Lessons in Nature-Based Learning
In Educating Children Outdoors, Amy Butler presents her concentrated nature education knowledge from 13 years of outdoor place-based teaching in Vermont. Masquerading as compelling nature writing,…
Art Review: Kathleen Robbins
I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way – things I had no words for. – Georgia O’Keeffe Kathleen Robbins’ home is near the…
In the Studio with Adelaide Murphy Tyrol
Colorful splotches of paint cover the floor of artist Adelaide Murphy Tyrol’s studio in Marshfield, Vermont. Paint-splattered buckets are stacked beneath a large sink. Brushes of various sizes…
Tree Time’s-Up
For now, this girdled hourglass preserves Tree’s vertical: a monument to gnawing doubts, camel straws, tipping points and indecision by a certain whittling Beaver. After all, beneath Russian…
Thanks to Elise
As we celebrate 30 years of publication of Northern Woodlands, we also celebrate, with thanks, Elise Tillinghast’s leadership of the Center for Northern Woodlands Education for the past 12…
Chittenango Ovate Amber Snails
Intolerance of disturbance, specific habitat requirements, and narrow distribution: these are characteristics that threaten species with extinction. Unfortunately, the Chittenango ovate amber snail…
Old Mill, New Market: TimberHP Brings a Paperless Future to Madison
Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. — Seneca (C. 4 BC–AD 65) For many observers of Maine’s forest products industry, the 18-month period between 2014 and 2016…